Latin American nations organize outside OAS, press own interests

The heads of 14 Latin American and Caribbean nations, whose meeting in Cancun ended last night, have agreed to establish a regional bloc, much like the Organization of American States, to promote their interests. Canada and the United States are being excluded.

The Christian Science Monitor shores up the decision as one that has been steadily gaining support. “Regional support for the United States has steadily declined over the past decade as the war on terror has turned U.S. attention away from its neighbors to the south. Most analysts see this move as part of a gradual shift away from the U.S. and toward growing global trade partners such as China and India.”

The Huffington Post described these nations as being “tired of long-running trade disputes with the United States and upset that the Western Hemisphere’s dominant regional organization (the Washington-based OAS) enacts policies that favor the United States.”

“The OAS has been dogged by rifts between some members and the United States over economic policy and trade and criticised for promoting U.S. interests,” the BBC reported.

While some leaders, such as Chilean President-elect Sebastian Pinera, have been careful not to exascerbate U.S. relations. (“It’s very important that we don’t try to replace the OAS.) Others, such as Cuban President Raul Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have not, criticizing a long history of U.S. pressure and power in Latin America.

The leaders were unanimous in one key regional issue: Argentina’s claim over the Falkland Islands, which it calls the Malvinas, 280 miles off its coast, and opposes oil drilling there by a UK firm.